


Splash!

by DrownedOutStars



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben and Hux and Rey and Mitaka are the main characters, Ben is 28, Ben is so effing smitten ya'll, Cuddling, Did I mention that Ben is smitten, F/M, Fantasy elements, First Time, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Hux is a cocky little bastard but he's loveable, I will be constantly editing my grammar, I'll be updating tags and characters as I go along, Kissing, Mermaids, Oral Sex, Poe and Phasma are only mentioned, Rey is honestly hilarious, Rey is straight forward, So many eighties references, Splash AU, The eighties baby, This is set in 1984, True Love, Vaginal Fingering, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), ben is smitten, mermaid au, mermaid rey, rey is 25, snoke is a jerk, so much love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:00:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25378798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrownedOutStars/pseuds/DrownedOutStars
Summary: A long time ago, Ben Solo met a girl under the waters. When he finds her again, it's like his world has been flipped upside down in the very best way possible.(Based on the 1984 filmSplash)
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
> 
> Okay, okay, so Splash was one of my all time favorite movies as a kid. I had it on VHS and I'd watch it on repeat like a crazy little gremlin. I hope y'all enjoy this AU as much as I already am!!!!
> 
> I'm already working on the second chapter, just please ignore the 1/1 thing. I don't know how to change it to 1/? ^^;

When Ben was eight, he went on a ferry with his parents in Cape Cod.

There was some band playing, leaving almost all of the people in full dancing swing and too busy to pay attention to anything else but the music. The music was deafening in his ears, even out on the deck, and he huffed to himself as he stood with his parents.

_This is boring_ , he thought as he watched the waves crash swiftly against the ferry as it effortlessly glided in the great blue waters. He kicked a penny with the tip of his shoe, only to see his best friend (whom he had begged his parents to let him come on the trip), dropping change purposely just to lean down and look up women's dresses.

"Armitage Hux!" Leia, Ben's mother, nearly screeched as she caught sight of what he was doing. She stormed over to him, grabbing him by his ear and dragging him to where they were standing with Han, Ben's father.

As she and Han were giving the redheaded boy a good, stern talking to, Ben was suddenly enamored by the waves and he slowly but surely walked to the railing. He rested his hands against the white painted metal, letting out a loud sigh as he stared into the seemingly endless blue.

"Ben, sweetheart, don't you want to see Cape Cod?" His mother's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he shook his head slowly as he continued to stare into the water.

"Alright, well...you know where to find us if you change your mind." She sighed before guiding Hux off with her and Ben's father.

It was almost as if the water was calling to him in some sense; like some sort of hypnotic lullaby that only the waves could procure. He could almost hear it singing in a sense, hear it beckoning him with its watery voice, and, before he realized what he was doing, he climbed over the railing and jumped in with a loud _splash_.

He dove into the water feet first, hearing his mother scream his name frantically as the ferry alarm suddenly went off. But he wasn't paying attention to that. Why would he be paying attention to that? He was paying attention to the blue all around him, stretching out for miles upon miles.

He was smiling, practically laughing, but all of that paused for a moment as he saw something swimming towards him in the distance: a girl.

She looked a little younger than him, but only slightly, with chesnut waves dancing amongst the waves and glinting in the watered out sunlight. She was wearing a shell necklace of some sort, as he could see. It was decorated with all kinds of shells, both big and small along with pearls of various colors, and she was grinning just as wide as she swam closer and closer.

He reached out towards her with both hands and she instantly grabbed them, a giggle erupting from her throat which caused bubbles to stream from her lips and fly up to the surface. 

She was really pretty. Even in the water, he could see her hazel eyes glimmering like forgotten jewels in a sunken ship.

But, just as quickly as he had jumped in, he was being pulled out. 

He was pushed up onto a ramp, coughing and sputtering as he wondered as to why he had been pulled out. He wasn't doing anything wrong, was he? It's not like he was drowning. He had jumped in because he _wanted_ to jump in. It's not like he had fallen or been pushed! 

His father scrambled up to him, grabbing him and bringing him to his mother who frantically dried him off with a towel while fretting over him like the mother hen that she was. 

As she brought him over to where the band _had_ been playing, he looked out over the ferry to see the girl's head bobbing in the water. She looked...upset. As if she was crying. He wanted to jump back in, to go back out and swim to her and tell her that it was okay, but he was yet again carted away from his parents.

In the water, she wiped her eyes frantically. She had liked this boy with his longish hair and funny nose, and he had just been yanked from her before they could even play. Her blue tail swished almost mournfully beneath the water's surface, like it was doing a dance of loss for who she had thought to be a new friend, and she let out a loud whine before ducking back beneath the waves out of sight. As she did, her tail flicked up out of the water's surface before she fully vanished.

**Twenty years later, New York City**

Ben loathed his job as co-owner of the wholesale fruit and vegetable company called The First Order.

Here he stood being yelled at by Mr. Plutt, who was absolutely red in the face at this point, over _cherries_. 

"Mr. Plutt, they came in, but there was fog upstate and the highway--"

" _Where are my cherries?!_ "

Good God, this man wouldn't quit, would he? 

"If I don't have my cherries in five minutes, you don't get your money and you starve and you die!" He jabbed a finger up at Ben's face and Ben blinked before sighing and nodding. This was his job, after all. He couldn't exactly sock this guy in the face and tell him to fuck off. 

Ben took a large inhale before shouting, " _Poe!_ " 

Poe came scrambling over like a bat out of hell, his beanie practically flying off of his head as he ran to Ben who quickly jogged up to him. 

"Yeah, Ben, what's up?" Poe smiled and Ben groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"Poe, where the hell are Plutt's cherries?"

"Oh, they're here," 

Ben felt like he could finally breathe again. 

"But you gotta take a look at this stuff."

Stuff? What _stuff_? What was wrong with them? Jesus Christ, he just needed the blasted cherries!

Ben pursed his lips for a moment before nodding and putting his hands on his hips, turning his head towards Plutt with a forced yet polite smile. "Uh, Mr. Plutt, be right back."

" _Where are my cherries?!_ " Plutt boomed as Ben ran off with Poe, Poe silently snickering as the continued to go towards where he was leading them.

But, when he sees the cherries, he's not impressed. Disgusted, really.

"Aw, Snap, where did you grow these things? Jesus, snails with stems. Forget it. Get them outta here." Ben waved his hands towards the sad little fruits and Poe nodded quickly as he turned to look back at one of the warehouse employees.

"Beaumont, get them out of here."

"You got it, sir."

Just as Ben was walking by a desk, a phone began to ring and he already knew who it was. "Hi, honey, what's--"

"Look, you know, we get a lot of rain, the cherries get a little slime," Snap cut him off and Ben's eyes flicked down to him with a bored expression. 

Well, Ben simply decided to ignore him and continue, "Honey, I can't hear--"

"You agreed to take these off our hands!" Snap bristled and Ben clenched his jaw as he turned to look back down at him. 

"When the hell did I agree to that?"

"Not you, your brother!"

Brother? Ben didn't have a--

_Hux._

Goddammit, that slimy little shit struck again.

"...Ah, alright," Ben forced a smile as he tried to focus on his garbled girlfriend's voice on the other line. "Gwen, dear, I can't hear you." A pause. "What I'm doing is important, too. I'll call you right back, okay?" He hung up the phone, his eye twitching as he did so, before turning back down to look at the disgruntled man before him.

"So my best friend bought your slimy cherries?" 

"Yeah. Me and Hux, we were playing poker. He had two pair. I had a flush. He had no cash, so we worked this out."

Ben inhaled slowly through his nose as he pinched the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut as he tried not to curse audibly. Goddammit. Goddammit, this was always happening. It was almost as if Hux did this for _fun_ ; making his life a living hell.

Just then, as if Hux had heard them himself, his red convertible came crashing in through the warehouse like some sort of speed highway demon with rock music blasting out of its speakers wildly. He instantly crashed into a tower of crates, sending them to the ground, and the redhead sucked in his breath as he muttered a, "Not good."

He crawled out of the car, shouting as he did, " _Who put this goddamn fruit here?_ " 

He brushed himself off before saying, "I'm all right if anyone's concerned!"

"Good morning, Hux." Ben bit out as he began to rush over to him, Hux looking over at him with wide eyes before grinning like a lunatic. 

"Ben! Ben!" Hux hollered as he reached into his car for God only knows what. Drugs? Illegal contriband? The list could go on.

"I want a simple 'yes' or 'no.'" Plutt snarled and Ben jumped for the man had seemingly manifested out of thin air. Was that his other superpower beside turning as red as the cherries that he so desperately wanted?

"One more second, Mr. Plutt," Ben laughed nervously before running over to Hux like his life depended on it.

"I made it! I'm in the penthouse magazine! They printed my letter! Ain't that great?" Hux cackled wildly as he held up two magazines in his hands like they were the ten commandments themselves. Except, instead of stones, they were glossy paper with only lewd things written within said paper.

"They printed my letter!" Hux chirped as they walked inside of the warehouse as Ben tried not to scream.

"Listen, I'm very happy," He wasn't. He really wasn't.

"I'm in the Forum section. The story's entitled A Proper Lady No More. They printed every word I wrote. It's a _beautiful_ story. Here. I want copies of this for everybody--Snap, good to see you!" Hux turned with his arms wide open and Snap returned the gesture with a wild grin.

"Hey!" They went in for a hug, slapping each other's backs like only men could, and Ben watched tiredly as he looked down at his watch.

"Great game the other night. We gotta do that more often." Hux laughed and Ben growled under his breath before walking over.

"Hux, can we talk--"

"Great poker player," Hux announced before leaning in as they walked away. "Cheats like a son of a bitch, though."

"Hux, you and I have to talk." Ben put his hand on Hux's back to guide him--more like steer him--so he couldn't walk away and get distracted.

"What is it? The missing petty cash? It wasn't me."

"God, no, Hux," Ben paused as Hux moved in front of him. "I don't care about that. Not right now, at least."

"You don't?" His best friend looked far too pleased at that.

"No." Ben deadpanned.

"Then it was me! I admit the whole thing--"

"Well, I still don't care about it, Hux."

"I love this guy!" Hux exclaimed excitedly as he turned his head towards the entrance. "Do you hear me? I love him! Gimme a hug."

"Oh, God, Hux," Ben practically whined as he ran a hand down his face, putting his hand on his hip as he tried not to scream once again. This was Hux, though. This was just how he was.

"Give your best friend a hug. What's the matter? You're too big for hugs now, is that it? Is little Benny all grown up?" 

Before Ben could even do anything, Hux grabbed him and hugged him as tightly as he could. He felt like he was being crushed by a hydraulic presser, which was hilarious because Ben was far more built than him. If he wanted to, Hux's spine could be snapped in the blink of an eye. But he wouldn't. That would be murder, and murder isn't very nice, is it?

As Hux was hugging the ever living God out of him, Plutt waltzed right up with an aggravated expression and his face still, you guessed it, _cherry_ red. If Ben wasn't so irked, he might've smiled at the pun in his mind.

"I love this guy," Hux laughed loudly as he looked at the angry man and Ben pushed him away as he straightened himself out. This was really not the time for Hux's antics.

"Hey, guy, here's a buck,"

Oh, no. Oh, no, Hux could _not_ be doing this to one of his customers.

"Go wash my car." He slammed a dollar into Plutt's hand and Ben rubbed the back of his neck nervously as sweat began to bead on his brow. This was bad--no, not bad. Absolutely _catastrophic_. But, then again...Plutt was an asshole who kind of deserved that treatment.

Plutt paused for a moment before throwing the dollar on the floor in rage just as Ben and Hux turned to walk away from him.

"Solo!" Plutt snarled and Ben froze in his steps. "Where are my--"

"Mr. Plutt, your cherries, yes," he whirled around and rushed back up to him. Guess he couldn't escape this even if he truly wanted to. "Uh, believe me when I tell you that you're not going to be satisfied with what exactly we have for you. They're...ah, what's the word? Soggy...?"

"Okay, Solo," Plutt nodded aggressively as he jabbed his finger up at Ben's face like earlier, "You're ruined! Everyone's going to know that you, mister big shot, left me dry! You're finished! You're a goddamn ghost in this business!"

"...How'd you like some bananas at cost?"

"Deal."

Well, fuck. Okay, that was easy.

"Poe, set up our friend, Mr. Plutt. Bananas at cost." Ben smiled in relief as he walked away, only for Poe to gape and chase after him like a frantic mouse.

"Ben, wait a sec. I've got to get out of here early today, remember? Remember that?"

"Oh, damn, that's right. Yeah," Ben nodded as he paused to turn towards the man. "Today's the big day."

"Yeah! Now, don't forget. Ushers have to be there early, too, okay?"

Ben smiled before lightly patting Poe's arm. "I'll be yesterday, pal. No worries."

"Okay, awesome."

Ben walked up to his office with Hux, picking up papers off of his receptionist's, Mrs. Holdo, desk as he walked in. Spam letters, ads, nonsense...the usual. This was a legitimate place of work, a wholesale fruit and vegetable business, so why the hell was he getting spam letters?

"Are there any messages, Mrs. Holdo?" He sighed tiredly as he continued to look through the papers in his hands.

"Um, yes, actually," she smiled as she plucked up a sticky-note and looked down at it. "Your father called. He wants you to call him back."

"Oh, yeah? Wonder what that's about." He murmured and she nodded.

"Just call him and tell him I'll call him later, okay?"

"Of course, Mr. Solo." Amilyn beamed and Ben smiled politely at her before opening the door to his office and going inside with Hux hot on his tail.

Ben instantly went over to his desk to continue looking through the papers as Hux sat down and reclined in one of the comfortable red chairs that sat beside the mahogany desk. He sucked his teeth as Ben stayed silent, the only sound in the office being that of a small fan that sounded like it had tuberculosis with all of its horrid sputtering. Hux leaned back in his chair as he looked over at him, only to get distracted by the fish tank in the corner.

"You're still obsessed with the ocean, huh?" Hux pointed at the fish tank with a lazy smirk.

"Hmm?" Ben droned out before blinking and looking up. "Oh--oh, yeah, I thought it'd make the office look nicer."

The office delved into silence once again after that. Just the sound of that damned fan.

It was Ben that broke the silence by throwing down the papers on his desk and saying, "What the hell are you even doing down here?"

"Maybe I went to the, uh, Club A last night," Hux puffed out his chest as he looked at the magazine in his hands like a proud parent. "Maybe I got something new for you."

"Something new?" This could either be bad, really bad, or really _really_ bad.

"Yeah, yeah," Hux lowered the magazine as he smirked like a fox in a hen house. "Maybe I met Mr. Coruscant, the owner of Coruscant Supermarkets...maybe we had a few drinks. And maybe," he sighed dramatically as he threw the magazine down on the desk. "Just maybe, we're his new produce suppliers."

Holy _shit_. The crazy son-of-a-bitch did something _good_.

"I'm proud of you!" Ben slammed his hands down on the desk excitedly as he held back the urge to wiggle like a giddy child. "That's great! Which store?" He asked as he sat down at the desk.

"Not which store. The whole chain."

Ben sat there dumbfounded for a moment before leaning forward as he pointed at the cocky fire headed man, "I hope you are joking with me right now."

"Think big, be big, my friend. He was a green beret colonel--"

Ben groaned loudly as he threw his head back, fighting the urge to kick his feet as he did so.

"I made up a story about you being wounded in action and he wants to do buisness! Now, he's coming around this morning to check out the operation."

"God, you lied--this morning?!" He bolted up from his desk. "Great, Hux, it's only chaos down here. Snap brings me slimy cherries from upstate,"

"So what? So what?"

"Poe's getting married tomorrow,"

"So what?"

"Did you realize that?!"

"I was out drinking with this guy all night long!" Hux exclaimed angrily as he bolted up from his seat, his fists clenched as he spoke through his teeth, "I'm busting my arse for you!"

"I have to pick up my tuxedo, all the way up on East 77th Street!" Ben panicked visibly and Hux paused before walking over to him and patted his back affectionately.

"Come on, you can handle this deal. Come on, relax."

"Yeah, I'll handle it just fine," He murmured aggressively as Hux gently pushed him down into his chair while telling him to clean up his desk, but Ben didn't want to hear it. Not now. Not with everything that was currently happening.

Suddenly, the phone began to ring, and Ben speedily picked it up for he already knew who it was just like earlier.

"Hi, Gwen, I'm sorry. I meant to call you back. I forgot. What's the matter? Your voice sounds funny...what? Now? You're moving out of the apartment now, while we're talking on the phone?"

As Ben was talking, Hux watched him with almost brotherly concern.

"W-Well, yeah, I know we were going to talk about it, but...Gwen, this is a little impulsive, don't you think? I mean, if we were married, you wouldn't just move out like this."

A pregnant pause.

"What do you mean, 'do I love you'?"

Another pregnant pause that left Hux reeling for more context.

"Well, I...well, we met and I, uh...well, you moved in, didn't you?"

"Oh, shit," Hux muttered and Ben glared over at him before looking back forward.

"W-Well, no, it's just that it's a very complicated thing," Ben stuttered before exhaling, "Hey, do you love me, huh? Well, there you go!"

He only got a dial tone back after a moment, lowering the phone to stare at it before slowly putting it back in its dock as he winced.

"She broke up with you?"

"She, uh," Ben rubbed the back of his neck before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, she broke up with me."

"After the wedding, I'm taking you to a bar."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two where we meet Mitaka and Rey~!

The wedding had been beautiful.

Poe and Zorii seemed so incredibly happy on their special day and, of course, Ben was more than happy for them. He had worked with Poe for so long, had become incredibly close to him, so he was more than happy that his friend had gotten the wedding and woman of his dreams. What kind of friend wouldn't be happy?

But his newly ex-girlfriend had lingered in his mind the whole time.

Ben had never been good at relationships, and that was just the honest to God truth. He didn't like the "L" word to say the very least, and his relationships never lasted more than a handful of months.

It wasn't because he was coldhearted, not even in the slightest, it was just because he never exactly...felt a very strong connection to the women he dated. He wanted fireworks, he wanted the goddamn Fourth of July, but no woman met that sensation. Not yet, anyways.

But still, he was bummed out that Gwen had dumped him. Even though he didn't really feel anything spectacular for her, he was still bummed out, and that was perfectly okay.

So, now, here he sat at the bar with Hux, circling the rim of his whiskey glass as his best friend talked.

"You see, drinking is really a matter of algebraic ratios," Hux stated as he picked up his glass of brandy and took a sip before lowering it, "How drunk you get is dependent on how much alcohol you consume in relation to your total body weight. You see my point?" He walked over to where Ben was slumped down on the counter. "It's not that you had a lot to drink, it's just...actually, no, it's exactly that. You are piss drunk."

Ben mumbled incoherently about that being nonsense, a classic Ben move in all honesty, and Hux erupted into laughter which caused Ben to stare at him almost menacingly.

"Marceau, a bunch more drinks here please!" Hux grinned wildly as he waved the bartender over.

"No, no, Hux, I don't want to get drunk." Ben nearly whined and Hux damn near howled with laughter at that. Classic Ben, always in denial.

"But you are drunk, buddy. You're more than drunk--what is that southern saying? 'Drunk as a skunk'? That's you. You are the skunk."

As Hux talked, the bartender came over and asked while pointing at what was once a proud man named Benjamin Solo, "Is he going to be there long?"

"I don't know." Hux waved his hand dismissively and the bartender grumbled to himself in annoyance as he walked away.

"Oh--oh, I'm on the bar," Ben jerked up and Hux snickered as he placed a hand on his upper arm.

"Yeah, you're on the bar, buddy. Have been for a while."

Ben peeled his face from the bar before glancing at his drink, only to shake his head and lean back in his stool as he inhaled sharply through his nose. He squinted his eyes at the bartender, trying to figure out if there was only one or two. That was two, right? Holy fuck, he couldn't _see_.

"That was a gorgeous ceremony, wasn't it?" Hux's eyes were trained on a woman walking by who winked at him, the redhead's eyes lighting up as his face split into a feral grin.

"Mm-hmm," Ben slurred. "Very lovely..."

Without Ben even realize what was happening, Hux had booked it down the walkway to the woman who had just passed by, and Ben licked his dry lips as he blinked owlishly as he stared down at his hand. Whoa, when did he get _four_ hands? He was, like, half of an octopus--he didn't want to be half of an octopus. He wanted to be Ben. He wanted...what did he want? Gwen? No. No, he didn't want her.

He looked over to see Hux at the women's table, blinking owlishly once more before nodding slowly as he spotted a couple sitting at the end of the bar. He slid from his seat before making his way down the bar, startling the couple by leaning into their conversation and saying, "Hi."

"Hi?" They both said in unison with forced polite smiles and Ben nodded quickly as he smiled back.

"You...you guys are in love, aren't you?" He asked and the woman stifled a laugh as the man deadpanned.

"We just met."

Ben paused before chuckling and shaking his head, "Doesn't matter. I know about these things. I can see. I can tell. You...you two guys, you're in love. And I think that's...I think that's beautiful."

"Thanks." The man gave him a tight lipped smile as the woman took a sip of her martini, their polite façades having quickly worn off.

The man started to try and persuade the woman to go home with him as Ben looked away. He began to lightly drum on the bar top as he nodded along with their conversation before bursting out and startling them with, "Do I expect too much out of life?"

"My dress! I can't believe this!" The woman basically snarled and Ben looked down to see that he had accidentally tipped her drink on her. Ah, shit. He hadn't meant to do that.

"I'm sorry," he began to pat her dress with a napkin sloppily only for the man to glare at him.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" He snatched the napkin from him and began to dab her dress only for the woman to exclaim in disgust and anger as she bolted up.

"Both of you. You're crazy!" She snapped before storming off and the man chased after her while spewing apologies. Ben winced as he watched them, his shoulders slumping down ever so slightly as he slowly looked back forward. He really didn't mean for that to happen. Now, he felt like a grade A jackass.

He paused for a moment before looking at the bartender, "I don't ask that much, do I? I don't ask to be famous or rich or even to play center field for the New York Yankees or anything. I just want to meet a woman. I wanna meet a woman."

As he was talking, a woman slid into the stool beside him nonchalantly with who was most likely her husband beside her, but Ben continued as he looked over at her, "And I wanna fall in love, and I wanna get married. And I want to have a kid, and I want to see him play a tooth in the school play."

She looked at him with pity almost as he said, "It's not much. But I'm...but I'm kidding myself. This is never going to happen. I'm gonna grow old, and I'm gonna grow lonely, and I'm gonna die, and I'm gonna be surrounded by a bunch of rotten fruit." Ben swallowed thickly as he fought back tears, and he hated himself for getting this sentimental. But he was lonely. He was so, so, so painfully lonely, and the alcohol had brought all of this out.

He stood up from his stool, stumbling over to Hux as he discreetly wiped his eyes. "Hux? Hux?"

"Ben! I want you to meet a friend of mine," Hux chirped and Ben frowned. "This is Sam!"

"Hi..." Ben smiled as he discreetly wiped his eyes once more. "Hux, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Absolutely," Hux nodded as he stood up. "Excuse me for just one sec, love." He winked and the woman giggled as she nodded. Hux made his way over to Ben and grinned while putting his hands on his arms, "Pack your bags. Tonight, my good man, we're going to Rio. Sam has a time-sharing condominium. We're gonna share some time with her, yeah? Well--I'll be sharing time with her. You can go relax on the beach and see the ocean! You love the ocean!"

"No. No, Hux," Ben moved away from him. "I'm going to Cape Cod." And then, he took off.

"What? What are you talking about? Cape Cod?" Hux hollered after him as he chased him, "What are you talking about? Why would you go to Cape Cod?"

"I don't know," Ben shrugged as he stopped in his steps, swaying for a moment before leaning against the bar. "Because I like Cape Cod, Hux. I feel better up there. I look out at the water and I feel closer to something."

"Cape Cod over Rio? Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I'm great."

"Let me drive you up there."

"No, no--"

"Let me drive you up there! Come on!" Hux insisted and Ben shook his head. He could do this alone.

"You got enough money?"

"Yeah," Ben murmured. "I got plenty."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Ben gave him a small smile and Hux clapped him on the back.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The drive to Cape Cod had felt like a million years in the taxi cab. Back in New York, he had slid into a cab and had asked the driver to take him to Cape Cod. He was stingy at first, but after giving him the money, they were well on their way.

He had sobered up just fine in the backseat, although his head was still pounding like a jackhammer and all he wanted was ice water.

Now, at around eight in the morning or so, he was out on the beach.

He was walking along the shoreline, minding his own business, when he saw a man with black hair up ahead shout at some men handling a very large box, " _Be careful with that!_ "

Well, this certainly peaked his curiosity as he got closer.

"Excuse me," Ben interrupted them as he got within talking distance and the three men turned around to look at him in bewilderment.

"Morning." Ben smiled and the man with black hair blinked.

"Morning." Said the three men in unison. It was almost eerie. Almost.

"Uh," Ben chuckled, "I was dropped off on the wrong side of the beach, and I was wondering if you could take me over to the island."

The three men stood there silent for a moment before the boss--Ben assumed he was the boss--spoke up, "Well, uh, we're not...we're not going...we're just...we're taking the boat. We're not going out there!"

"Oh, uh," well, fuck. "Uh, have you seen anyone else along this beach who could? Take me out there?"

"No, just me and these morons," the man shook his head almost violently.

Ben hesitated before walking up and gesturing to the few boxes, "What is all this stuff?"

"I knew it," the man snapped in what appeared to be a paranoid frenzy as he marched over to him. "Who sent you up here? Dr. Snoke from Chicago?" He was pacing in front of him like a madman and Ben's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Who...who's Dr. Snoke from Chicago?"

"Oh, who's Dr. Snoke from Chicago," the man wagged his finger as he laughed dryly, "You're good. You're very good. I suppose you're just some harmless beachcomber who happens to wear a tuxedo! How dare you try and horn in on someone else's research!"

"Look, I'm just a guy--"

"Dopheld Mitaka is not a man to be taken advantage of," he jabbed a finger up at Ben's face with a glare, "So you just stay out of my way, bucko." He began to back up slowly before whirling around and shouting, " _All right, let's move out!_ "

Ben stared at him with wide eyes and an expression of utter and total disbelief. Was this man serious? Did he actually think he was some sort of spy working for Dr. Snoke? He didn't even know a Dr. Snoke! He just needed to get to the island. That's all he needed.

One of the men looked at him and said, "There's a guy down the beach who runs people out to the island."

Ah, yes! Praise the Lord! "What's the name?"

"...The guy or the island?"

Oh, sweet Jesus Christ.

"...I'll find him." Ben stated and the man nodded with a grin as he flashed him two thumbs-up. Well, he was trying to help. That's what mattered.

Thirty minutes later, and was seated in a boat. He looked over his shoulder, glancing down at the water as it did so. He could feel the sea breeze on his face, taste the salt in the air, and he felt one hundred times better already. The water was cerulean beneath the boat, spraying up and misting his face in the best way possible.

But there was one thing that made him wary of the water he loved so dearly.

"What's the matter? You look a little nervous." The man who owned the boat asked and Ben chortled as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah. Well, the truth of the matter is, Big Jack, I don't know how to swim."

He had never learned. As much as he loved the water, he never learned. That was probably why his mother freaked out on the ferry boat all those years ago, but he remembered that he wasn't drowning; he was having a beautiful hallucination of a girl with a fish tail that shined as brightly as the ocean in the morning.

"Can't swim?"

"No, sir." Ben smacked his thighs as he laughed nervously and the man let out a low whistle.

"I suppose you wouldn't want me to do this, then, hmm?" He grinned as he began to rock the motorboat from side to side and Ben instantly began to panic.

"H-Hey, no, what the fuck? Stop! No!" Ben exclaimed loudly and the man only laughed in return as he continued to rock the boat.

"Please, cut it out! This isn't funny!" He was pleading now and the man rolled his eyes as he groaned in annoyance which pissed Ben off to no ends.

"I'm just having a little fun, don't get your panties in a twist." He huffed as he stopped rocking the boat and Ben growled under his breath as he gripped the sides of the boat.

"Yeah, well, don't do that. Drowning is serious business, like, what the fuck were you thinking?!"

But suddenly, the motor started to sputter, and both of the men tensed up. Ben slowly moved to the side to see the motor as the man twisted around to see what all the fuss was about.

"What is that? What's the matter?" Ben asked as panic seeped into his tone.

"I guess when I rocked the boat, I must have got a little water in the engine. I can fix it. I'm mechanical." The man grinned as he held up a hammer and Ben silently screamed as he began to bang the hammer on the motor.

"Did you fix it yet?" He just wanted to get off the boat now.

"No," the man sighed loudly in annoyance. "I'll go back for the other boat."

" _What?!_ " Ben yelped as he watched the man jump overboard and into the ocean.

"Wait--where are you going, Mr. Big Jack?!" Panic, panic, panic.

"Back to the dock. It's only a few miles, I can swim it. I'll be back with the little boat."

" _The little boat?!_ "

Well.

Now he was stranded for God only knows how long.

He sat there for a few minutes before moving forward and attempted to tinker with the motor with the hammer after picking it up. If he could fix it, that would mean he could get to the island and not have to wait for "Big Jack" to come back with a teeny-tiny little boat. He wanted to get to the island _now_. He began to bang on it before standing up and saying, "Piece of shit."

Then, he got a brilliant idea.

He put his foot on the edge of the boat and began to yank the pull cord on the motor while praying to God that it started up so he could be on his merry way.

But, as it started up, he tripped and fell off of the boat with a loud cry of surprise.

Into the water he went, twisting and flailing like a fish on land (where he wanted to be). He tried to keep his head above water, gasping and sputtering for air as panic fully took over his nerves. The boat was going in circles around him, almost as if it was taunting him, and Ben desperately tried to grab onto it. Then, the boat started to head straight for him.

He couldn't move. All he could say was, "Oh, geez."

He tried to duck in time as it zoomed towards him, but he hit his head on it anyways. Down and down he sank, his hands on his injured head as he tried to accept that this was how he was going to die. They'd never find his body, obviously, as it was the freaking ocean, and he wondered if he would become a classified missing person. Would his parents and Hux think that he had been murdered? Kidnapped?

He didn't notice his wallet sinking beneath him, nor did he notice the hand that grabbed his sleeve and yanked him towards them.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

When he awoke, he was on the beach face down in the sand.

He spit the sand from his mouth before a sharp pain blossomed on the side of his head. He groaned in pain as he placed his hand over the throbbing part of his skull, and he groaned once more as he hung his head.

He began to look around before pausing at the sight of a young woman hiding in overly green bushes, her head peeking up as she gave him the most brilliant pearl smile as her chestnut hair gently swayed in the wind.

All he could do was stare and muster out as he slowly got up on his hands, "Hello...do you have any idea how I got here? Did you save me?"

But all she was doing was staring at him like a curious animal as she rose up further and further from the bush.

He was standing up fully now, trying to wrap his brain around this whole situation. "Uh...do you speak English?"

All she did was smile. All she did was stare.

And he stared right back as he found his feet moving forward by themselves.

Well, this instantly spooked her, causing her to gasp with wide eyes as she turned and ran down the hill--

She was naked. She was as naked as a newborn baby.

Ben stood there dumbfounded as he watched her run back towards the ocean, his mouth agape ever so slightly as his brain short circuited.

But she paused as she looked over at him, and, once again, he began to move towards her as if he were a magnet and she the metal. They stared at each other as he paused in his steps, the young woman biting her lower lip as she gave him a once over with her eyes.

She was then the one to move forward, and her next action shocked Ben all the way to Mars.

She dove in and kissing him heatedly, her hand tangling in his hair as she pressed her body flush against his while deepening the kiss.

Holy _shit_.

He eagerly kissed back, wanting to reach out and touch her, but she yanked back with a smile and jumped back into the ocean.

"Hey! Come back!" Ben hollered, but it was to no use. She was swimming around with her eyes on him as he continued, "Hey, come back! Please! Just--just tell me who you are! I've gotta talk to you. Can I call you? What's your number? I-I don't know how to swim. I don't know how to swim! Come back!"

As she turned to leave, he nearly fell to his knees. "Oh, why didn't I learn how to swim? Please, just..." but she was gone. She dissapeared under the waves, and Ben watched the waves with mourning desperation in his eyes.

Who was she?


End file.
